Getting Around Uppsala

Getting Around Uppsala

Uppsala is a compact, walkable city, and most of its headline sights sit within the central area. For anything beyond the centre, a good local bus network, a strong cycling culture and a handful of taxi and ride-hailing options will get you where you need to go. This guide covers the practical basics: how to move around town, how to pay, and how to reach the city from its main airport.

On Foot

Walking is the simplest way to see central Uppsala. The commercial core is quite compact, and most tourist sights lie within the central area. A walk across the entire city centre takes no more than about twenty minutes.

Some of the most rewarding areas for a stroll are on the western side of the river, in the Fjärdingen neighbourhood, where the cathedral, castle and university buildings form a historic ensemble that has remained largely undisturbed. The pedestrianised streets and main square on the eastern side of the river are where most of the retail activity is concentrated.

If you want to venture further out — to Gamla Uppsala or Linnés Hammarby, for example — you will need some other means of transport, or a good pair of walking shoes. Town maps are available from the tourist office "InfoPoints" scattered around town.

By Bike or E-Scooter

Cycling is one of the best ways to explore Uppsala, especially if you plan to leave the centre and visit the peripheral districts or the surrounding countryside. The city has so many cyclists that it has earned the nickname "Bike Town." There are paths running parallel to nearly every road, plenty of places to park a bike, and the terrain is flat enough that even inexperienced cyclists will find it easy going.

• Bike sharing: The cheapest option is the local bike-sharing company EU-Bike. You rent one of their distinctive green bikes through their smartphone app by scanning the bike's QR code. The first ten uses are free, after which additional usage costs a small per-half-hour fee.
• E-scooters: Electric scooters can be rented through the local company Voi, again via an app. Pricing is a small per-minute rate plus a starting fee.
• Conventional rentals: Several traditional bike rental shops operate in Uppsala. A typical price is around 200 kr for the first day and roughly 100 kr for each additional day.

One local caution worth repeating: locals joke that everyone who lives in Uppsala has had a bike stolen at some point. Lock up properly.

Public Transport: Buses and Trains

Uppsala has no metro or tram network. Local public transport is built around buses, operated by the regional company UL, with the main hub at Uppsala Central Station. The station is the city's principal travelling hub, with the old station building from 1866 now serving as a restaurant and a modern station building alongside it. Exit west for the city centre, local buses and taxis; exit east for out-of-town taxis and buses.

UL runs a staffed service centre on the upper floor of the station, open Monday to Friday 07:00–19:00 and Saturday 09:00–17:00. Tickets can also be bought from machines scattered around the station. UL also operates regional services to Västerås and Sala; tickets are cheaper if pre-purchased rather than bought on board, and cheaper still if bought with a travel fund.

For longer journeys within Sweden, Uppsala Central is served by national and regional trains. The national operator SJ runs regional express trains from Stockholm roughly every half hour, taking around half an hour, complemented by occasional regional trains on the Linköping–Norrköping–Stockholm–Uppsala–Gävle route. Trains from Norrland also call here, including the Sundsvall express and night trains from Luleå and Narvik. From anywhere west of Stockholm or south of Linköping, you will usually need to change at Stockholm Central.

Regional commuter trains (pendeltåg) also run between Stockholm and Uppsala twice an hour, with more frequent stops and a longer journey time. They stop at Arlanda Airport, Solna, Odenplan, Södermalm and Älvsjö, among others. Note that Uppsala and Stockholm belong to different counties, so ordinary local Stockholm tickets and passes are not sufficient to reach Uppsala. Commuter trains have no toilet on board.

Taxis and Ride-Hailing

Taxis are available in front of the airport terminals and can be found at Uppsala Central Station, where you exit west for local taxis and east for out-of-town taxis. For airport runs in particular, taxis offer fixed prices to Uppsala, usually advertised on a large "Fast Pris" sign near the back of the car. Always ask for the fixed price before starting the journey — otherwise the driver may charge per kilometre, which works out far more expensive.

Getting In from the Airport

Uppsala has no commercial airport of its own and is served by the same airports as Stockholm. The main one, Stockholm-Arlanda (ARN), is actually closer to Uppsala than to Stockholm, making the city easily accessible by air. Arlanda sits on the main road and railway route between Uppsala and Stockholm, and the train from Arlanda to Uppsala takes about seventeen minutes. Your main options from Arlanda are train, bus, car rental and taxi.

By Train from Arlanda

• SL commuter trains and Mälartåg run every 30–60 minutes between roughly 05:00 and 01:00, taking about 18 minutes to Uppsala Central. A single ticket includes the airport surcharge. The trains have low floors and wide doors, making them easy for passengers with wheelchairs or bulky luggage.
• The national operator SJ also runs irregular trains between Arlanda and Uppsala at similar rates and travel times.
• All trains for Uppsala depart from Arlanda Central station ("Arlanda-C") within the airport's Sky City. Do not go to Arlanda South or North, which only serve express trains to Stockholm city.
• You must buy your ticket before boarding. There is a ticket counter and machines at the station.

By Bus from Arlanda

• UL bus 801 (daytime) and SL bus 593 (at night) run from the stations beneath terminals 2, 4 and 5 to bus terminal C at Uppsala Central Station. They run every 30 minutes and take about 30 minutes.
• The night bus may be your only transport option between midnight and 05:00.
• Flexibus runs budget buses between Arlanda's Terminal 5 and Uppsala. These are significantly cheaper than UL's buses but also significantly less frequent, with departures roughly once every third hour.

By Taxi or Car from Arlanda

Taxis are available in front of terminals 2, 4 and 5 and offer fixed prices to Uppsala, which is a good option for groups of three or four people and avoids public transport costs within the city. The major car rental companies have desks in the arrivals halls, and the E4 highway will take you from Arlanda to Uppsala in about half an hour.

Other Airports

Uppsala can also be reached from Stockholm's other airports, though the journeys are longer:

• Stockholm-Bromma (BMA) in western Stockholm is served by domestic and short-range flights.
• Skavsta (NYO) near Nyköping, south of Uppsala, is served by several budget carriers. From the airport, take local bus 515 to Nyköping Central Station and change to a regional train for Stockholm Central, where you can change again for Uppsala. Alternatively, take the Flygbussarna air coach from the airport to central Stockholm and change to a train towards Uppsala.
• Västerås Airport (VST) west of Uppsala is served by Ryanair from a handful of cities in Britain and Spain. The cheapest and fastest option is a local bus from the airport to downtown Västerås, then a change to regional bus 774 or 773 to Uppsala.